(Credit: GM)
General Motors said it plans to expand its vehicle-to-home (V2H) bidirectional charging technology across its Ultium-based electric vehicles by model year 2026.
V2H adds new value to EV drivers, who will be able to transfer energy from their vehicles to a properly equipped home. Consumers can store and transfer energy to help offset electricity needs during peak demand days and mitigate the impact of power outages, GM said in its announcement.
The company already announced the technology will be available for the 2024 Chevrolet Silverado EV RST, followed by the 2024 GMC Sierra EV Denali Edition 1, 2024 Chevrolet Blazer EV, 2024 Chevrolet Equinox EV, 2024 Cadillac LYRIQ and the upcoming Cadillac ESCALADE IQ, which GM plans to reveal on Aug. 9.
The V2H expansion comes as the United States is seeing one of its hottest summers ever on record, with July seeing all-time temperature highs in some regions. In particular, Texas has been plagued with high temperatures that have put a strain on the state’s power grid. However, many states have faced the possibility of blackouts this summer during heat waves. Technology such as bidirectional charging can help improve grid resilience.
“GM Energy’s growing ecosystem of energy management solutions will help accelerate GM’s vision of an all-electric future by further expanding access to even more benefits that EVs can offer,” Wade Sheffer, vice president of GM Energy, said in a statement. “By integrating V2H across our entire Ultium-based portfolio, we are making this groundbreaking technology available to more consumers, with benefits that extend well beyond the vehicle itself, and at broader scale than ever before.”
Customers can leverage the technology on compatible GM EVs through GM Energy’s available Ultium Home offerings, and the GM Energy Cloud, a software platform that will allow users to manage the transfer of energy between connected GM Energy assets and the home.
GM said it will announce specific timing and availability of V2H technology in future updates.
The announcement also comes as several major carmakers are planning to roll out new EV models over the next few years. In addition to GM’s plans, carmakers such as Ford, BMW, and Chevrolet are adding several new EV cars and SUVs in the coming years, expanding marketplace options for consumers as EV infrastructure demands ramp up.
GM has already added new battery recycling capabilities last year, boosting the circular battery ecosystem as the carmaker adds new EV models.